Hello, haven't posted anything since I 'lost' my 2002 E430 and sold the 2006 R350. I bet I've missed a lot!

I have a 2020 S560 that worked fine with a wired connection on my iPhone XS Max.
But my new 16 Pro Max will not connect. I'm thinking it's the new USB-C cable, which works fine everywhere else, including the charging USB-C port.
I've also tried different cables.
Any ideas?

Note that I have a wireless adapter, and that works.

There are all kinds of USB-C cables. Not all cables support all the USB-C features. Some only support charging, others only support slow USB 2 speeds. A USB-C port can support many different protocols and features, USB 1, 2, 3, 4, DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, USB PD etc., and you need the matching cable for it to work. So knowing all that, what type of cable are you using? You must use one that supports charging and at least USB 2 data speeds and if you use a USB-A to USB-C adapter, the adapter has to also support those.

I've used this one for a while:


But I've recently switched to the new Beats USB-A to USB-C cable. Apple doesn't make one, but Beats is owned by Apple so this is the official USB-A to USB-C cable that "Apple" sells. I like it better than the previous one as the cable is even softer, so it's easier to manage in the center console space and tuck it out of the way when I'm not using it.

Thank you.

I have a few different cables but really don't know the features supported. I'll check on your suggestions. Appreciate the info!

Yeah it's the biggest issue with USB-C. The ports and cables are generally not labeled, so once it disappears in a drawer and you pull it out later, you really don't know what type it is. They all look the same, but they are not the same. When it comes to the ports themselves, you have to pull up the spec sheet of the device to figure out which features and protocols each port supports. Just like the cables, not every USB-C port is the same. Some support charging only, others support various data speeds, others support video, but w/o looking at the specs, you don't know.

Yep, they all look alike to me

Yeah, that's the downside of USB-C, the different types of USB-C that all use the same plug. The cable for my new Studio Display needed to be replaced. That's when I learned that there are different specs. The cable for that thing was like $100 (but covered under warranty).

That being said, I don't think you need one of those to connect to the car. But, I would buy a USB-A to USB-C cable that you find in the Apple Store: https://www.apple.com/shop/iphone/ac...%2B45c4&page=1

Those have to pass a battery of tests to be allowed into the store, so you can be sure that they work.

Personally, I don't cheap out on charger cables for my computers or phones. And the cheap ones at the gas station or corner store are a hard pass for me. I'm not risking destroying my $1,000 phone to save $10 on a charger cable.

In the old days, cables were just wires, insulation and a connector at each end. Now cables are active. There's a chip inside of the USB connector that once it's plug in a handshake takes place to establish what capabilities the cable has, so the device knows what it can send over it and at what speeds or power levels in case of charging, and then the devices on either end negotiate the services among them. Like when you connect your phone to a charger, you may have noticed that nothing happens at first and then suddenly it starts charging. During that initial time, the charger, cable and your phone are negotiating the power and voltage at which to charge before it starts charging. This also means that you can fry the chip in the cable, so a cable can simply stop working when it otherwise looks fine. Just because that little chip in the connector died for some reason.

Ha! I didn't know. Thanks for the info!

That did the trick! New cable with the correct data specs and all working fine now. Thank you!

Excellent! 99% of the time it's a wrong cable. Glad it worked out.

Are you able to connect carplay to both ports in the center? I can only connect to port 2.

No, only port 2, same with my SLC43.